Distorted Ripples
by Seigi Mitsuko
Summary: The tiniest ripples from a stone dropped in a lake spread out far beyond the point of change. King Garon is still himself and King Sumeragi is alive, yet Corrin still winds up in Nohr. Unable to return to the country of her birth as a child, how will she react when reunited with her birth siblings on a mission? Rated T because Fire Emblem. Crossposted on Deviantart and AO3.
1. Chapter 1: A Frightened Child

It was going a simple raid. Not at all complicated. A group of bandits had been harassing the nearby villages and he was going to attack them with a small company of soldiers. It was nothing special. He could have just sent his forces out to deal with the bandits and stayed back in Windmire, but he wanted to deliver a message to his people. He would ensure their ability to live their lives in peace, even if he had to come out himself and stop those who would disturb their lives.

The only thing different about this event was that his eldest son insisted on coming. He had wanted to see how his father fought and led in a real battle. It took a lot of convincing – Xander was persistent if nothing else – but he agreed to let his son come. There was one condition, however; Xander would do nothing but observe and stay a safe distance away from the battle with a part of the royal bodyguard to protect him in case a few bandits got too close to him.

In the dead of night, the soldiers had surrounded the camp. They would not let anyone get away. If one was to surrender, they were under instruction to capture them, but otherwise, they would kill anyone who tried to escape. A third of the force would help attack the camp, seeing as there were so few bandits despite the trouble they caused, and the rest would support the raid. When Garon gave the signal, the attack was sprung. It was unexpected. Most of the bandits were asleep and unprepared, causing them to be captured before they could defend themselves. The ones who did fight were quickly cut down. It didn't take long before the living bandits were taken away and the camp was secured.

"Father! That was amazing!" Xander exclaimed as he ran up to him. Gunter, a former general and current the captain of the bodyguard, was walking closely behind, keeping a diligent eye out for trouble that may have slipped by. Garon smiled at his son. He would have preferred that his son stay safe at home, but it was good that he saw how to lead. He decided to quiz him on the battle on the way home.

"Now Xander, stay close. We don't know if any of the bandits are still around." He placed his hand on his son's shoulder as he took another look around the camp. Most of the tents were being searched by the soldiers. They seized the supplies that were found inside. Once they were given back to the people, they could return home. A moment later, he felt his son pull away from him, running over to the smallest tent. "That boy…" Garon muttered under his breath before striding after him. "Xander, what did I just tell you?"

Xander opened the flap to the tent, obviously curious as to what they would keep in there. Then he froze for a second before turning back to his father with shock on his face.

"Father! There's a little girl in here! She's tied up!" he shouted before running in to the tent. Garon looked in after his son. Holding the flap open to let the moonlight in, he could see what his son was talking about. A little girl was tied to a post with her arms tied behind her back and pressed between her and the wood, her legs and ankles bound tightly, and even blindfolded and gagged! Xander was already working on getting her loose, starting with the blindfold. "Don't worry. Let's get these off you."

With the blindfold off, Garon could see just how scared she was. Her red eyes were wide, and it looked like she was on the verge of tears, even as the gag was removed. She was quietly whimpering, but she couldn't exactly do much while bound like that. After tying the flap open so that he could see the interior, he walked over to the two children. By this point, Xander had managed to cut the rope that kept her back and arms pressed against the post and started to work on freeing her arms before untying her legs. Looking closely at her, Garon recognized her style of clothing. She wore a blue, flower-patterned kimono, a style of dress common in Hoshido, and sandals with stockings. He was confused. Why was a Hoshidan girl a prisoner of those bandits?

When all the rope was either cut or untied, the girl started to shrink away from them. She wasn't screaming, so she probably understood that they were there to help her, but she was still scared. Garon decided to try and speak to her, keeping his voice soft as to not scare her more than she was already.

"What happened? How did those men get ahold of you?" She was still sitting on the ground and leaning away a bit, acting a bit guarded, but she had been in the hands of bandits for who knows how long. The girl looked down. Her platinum-blond hair started falling over her face, but the king noticed that her ears were pointed, like a dragon's ears were in its humanoid form. That was unusual, but it didn't explain why she was taken. After all, the dragons were long gone, and even those with dragon blood didn't have a trait like that.

"I was going somewhere with my father. They attacked us and took me." Her voice was small and trembling. She was just barely holding herself together. "They said they wished they had been allowed to kill my father, but they had been told not to. They needed to keep him alive and free in Hoshido for some plan."

"Who's your father?" Xander asked, a bit too loud for the moment in Garon's opinion. The volume caused the girl to flinch, but she answered the question.

"He's King Sumeragi. My mother's name is Mikoto."

Garon was shocked. This was one of the princesses of Hoshido? Granted, she wasn't the daughter of the queen, rather it was Sumeragi's concubine, but the abduction of a Hoshidan princess in the presence of the king would no doubt cause massive amounts of trouble between the countries. At least he had an answer to why they took her as well as someone to return her to. It was also someone that he would be able to reach out to with presumably little trouble. It had been quite a while since he had heard anything from his diplomat to Hoshido, but he was sure he was already working to keep them from blaming Nohr as a whole. Brushing a hand through his blond hair, he started planning the steps needed to send the little princess back to her family.

"What's your name? How old are you?" his son whispered. The girl looked up at him, but then sat up in a kneeling position.

"My name is Kairi. I'm almost five years old." she answered, a little softer that time.

'So, she's Azura's age.' Garon thought. Her head lowered again, not looking anyone in the eye. From the minor quivering of her voice, Garon understood why. He gently placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head up again. She was trying her hardest to stay composed. It was to be commended that she had kept relatively calm for her circumstances, but she was just a child, despite her position.

"You're safe now, Princess Kairi. And now, I'm going to start the process to get you home." He gave a kind smile to reassure her, then turned to his son. "Xander, it will likely take a bit to get her back to Hoshido, so I will expect you and Camilla to make her feel welcome." Xander grinned at him at that.

"Of course, Father."

With that settled, Xander took her hand and helped the princess up. Then he followed his father out of the tent. The soldiers had just finished cleaning up after the fight. All the weapons, tools, and food had been gathered and were ready to be distributed to the villages. They looked at King Garon, then over to his son holding the hand of a crying Hoshidan girl. Before anyone gathered the nerve to ask about it, Garon walked over to Gunter and the general.

"There's been a change of plans. Gunter, I want you and the guard to escort me, my son, and the Hoshidan girl back to Windmire. General Adler, you will oversee the distribution of the spoils." Murmurs of confusion seemed to echo through the camp, but Garon just called for the horses. Ignoring the stares, he looked down at Kairi before she was lifted onto Gunter's horse. "I trust Gunter to take care of you while we ride. If there's a problem, I will be close by." After that, he mounted his own horse.

Turning back towards the capital, his thoughts drifted towards the girl. If those bandits intended for trouble between Nohr and Hoshido, they certainly had a good start. Depending on how long she had been with them, it could be tricky getting her back with no incident. He hoped that he could smooth things over with Sumeragi by returning his daughter. She could explain what happened and they could avoid a serious conflict.

"Father? Are you all right?" a voice asked from in front of him. He looked down at his nine-year-old and smiled.

"Yes, Xander." Then another thought came to him. Smiling, he asked, "Now, did you learn anything today?" he asked good-naturedly. Xander looked down for a minute, brows furrowed in thought.

"You planned ahead with your men, you worked with them and gave clear expectations for what they were to do, and you attacked when they weren't prepared. They didn't expect anything." Xander answered. It was simple and accurate, but Garon had a bit of a different lesson for him.

"You are focusing on the battle. What of the aftermath?" With that, Xander looked down in thought. When he didn't answer, Garon pointed out what he wanted Xander to learn. "The most important part of a battle is the protection of our people. With the bandits gone, they can live safer lives. And since the Hoshidan princess has been rescued, we can work towards sending her home, so she can get her life back to normal. War and battle are horrible for those that get caught in the crossfire. That is why we try to avoid battles near our villages, towns, and cities, and if we must have a battle near them, we try to end it as quickly as possible. In war, the rules change a little, but the purpose is still to protect our people." He gave his son a minute to think that over before continuing. "My main goal in battle is the protection of those who do not fight. That is why I sent a message to the villages to not go into the woods tonight. Then he teasingly scolded his son. "And that is also why I want you to obey me next time when I give you a direct order."

"Father!" Xander exclaimed. Even in a lesson, Garon knew to have a little fun with his son. He said it as a joke, but he made a mental note to have a talk with him about following orders when they were home.


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to Nohr

After two days of riding to the northwest, they arrived at the city of Windmire. They rode through the late morning streets to where servants were waiting to take their horses to the royal stables. Once they were there, Garon dismounted before helping his son down. He gave the horse to the stable boy for him to take care of it before turning to check on Princess Kairi. She had been roused before sunrise each day they rode, including the day they rescued her. Suffice to say, she was tired. He made a mental note to suggest that she go to bed early that night. Gunter had just passed his horse over to the stable boy, so Garon walked up to him.

"Thank you, Gunter. You can go now." The former general bowed in respect, then left. After all, he had his own family to think of. Now that they were alone, he had some children to deal with. "Well, Xander, why don't we show Princess Kairi around. I don't know how long it will take for me to receive a response from her father once I send the letter, so I think she should know where things are and can get around." Kairi looked up at him, which was an improvement. She was getting used to them. Xander nodded excitedly, grabbing her hand to lead her around. The three of them were about halfway down the first hall when they saw a certain violet-haired, seven-year-old child. Her eyes lit up when she saw them.

"Father! You're back!" She ran up and embraced Garon tightly. He laughed a bit and returned the gesture warmly.

"It's good to see you again, Camilla." He pulled away a bit to look at her. "Have you styled your hair a bit differently this morning?"

"Father, I have my hair this way every day!" she laughed.

"You could have fooled me." He brushed her bangs to the side and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. "It looks beautiful as always." She giggled a bit before smoothing her hair back. Then she turned to her brother and hugged him as well.

"I'm glad you're back, Xander. How was the raid?" Xander stiffened and tried to get out of the embrace.

"Camilla, it was fine. Now get off!" He finally broke out of her arms, much to her annoyance. Before she could start arguing with him, he noticed the little girl next to them. She had let go of Xander's hand when he was trying to get free and was standing back from the welcome. Not knowing who this was, Camilla bent down to get a good look at her.

"Hello. What's your name?" she asked. Kairi shrunk back nervously, but Garon walked behind his daughter and gestured to the new child.

"This is Kairi, a princess of Hoshido. She is going to be staying with us for a time." He looked at the young girl expectantly. As she stood there, staring at Camilla, he wished he could just push her forward and say, 'Why don't you say 'hello'?' After a moment, she stepped forward a little and gave a stiff bow.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Camilla." She seemed to be a bit awkward with her, but Camilla wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, ignoring her stiffening at the contact.

"Oh, you are so cute!" she exclaimed. Then she turned to her father with an excited smile. "Father, may I show her around? Please?" He was about to tell her to let Kairi go, but then a thought crossed his mind. This would give him more time to get his work done so he could draft the letter to Sumeragi.

"Of course, Camilla. You and Xander may show her around. If you need me, I'll be taking care of some paperwork after I check up on Leo and Elise." Camilla let Kairi go so she could jump in excitement. Before she could wrap the poor girl up again, Garon interrupted her celebration. "However, you should show a little more restraint with physical contact. It doesn't seem like she is very comfortable with a full hug." Camilla stopped for a moment, looking at the girl. She was standing there awkwardly, not sure how to deal with the behavior.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Kairi. Here. Let's start the tour." she apologized before taking her left hand. Xander had gathered her right hand again and started leading her down the hall. Kairi had to walk a little faster to keep from being dragged by the two enthusiastic children through the busy early-morning hallways.

The first room they took her to ended up being the dining room. They always enjoyed being there. Sitting at the oaken tables and chairs always made them feel grown up. A crystal chandelier hung above it, glittering in the torchlight. The paintings and gold trimming on the walls gave it a regal look. It was much more decorated than the mess hall that the soldiers ate in. Xander looked down at Kairi, curious to see her reaction and saw a look of confusion on her face. He decided to explain a little.

"This is where we eat our meals with our Father. A maid or butler tells us when the meal is ready, and we come here to eat. We'll come back around noon for lunch." Kairi just looked around the room for a minute.

"Why is everything so high up?" she asked. Xander and Camilla looked at her with just as much confusion as she had. "Back home, the table is much lower to the ground, and we often kneel on cushions." That answered the unasked question. Things in Hoshido were probably so different from Nohr that everything was unfamiliar. It would also explain why she was so quiet.

"I don't know. It's always been this way." Xander shrugged. There wasn't much else to talk about in the dining room, so the three of them left.

The next room the showed her was the library. They hoped that the slightly darker room wouldn't turn her off too much. They couldn't risk torches burning the books. Still, there were lamps around that could be lit for late night reading. The room was lined on all sides with bookshelves, which were stacked with tomes of history, religion, magic; some of the books were even written in Nohr's ancient language! Only nobles read those, however, because those books took many years of dedicated study of the language to understand. Kairi's eyes widened at the sight of all the books. It seemed that they found the place she would be spending a lot of her time.

"Hey, Kairi," Camilla started to ask, "what kind of books to you like?" That seemed like a good thing to find out. That way, they could show her where those kinds of books were. Kairi seemed to blush a little, but she mumbled a little reply.

"I like fairy tales and legends. Mother often tells me a lot of old stories about the dragons." Well, that was easy to find. They had plenty of book with fairy tales to start with, and the dragons had a small section of the library to themselves.

"Well, what's your favorite fairy tale? I don't read them much, but I like Rumpelstiltskin." Camilla asked as she started looking through the books for a good story for her.

"My favorite is 'Issun Boshi'. My big sister Hinoka doesn't really like those kinds of stories." Looking back at Kairi, she quickly decided on a story to show her.

"Well, I'm fairly certain that we don't have that story here, but I can let you read a popular Nohrian story." She found the book that she was looking for; a thick, well-read book compiling many of Nohr's favorite tales. "Here we are." After flipping over to the story she was looking for, Camilla handed the book to Kairi. "It's called 'Schneewittchen', which is often translated 'The Snow-White Princess'. Maybe later I can show you some other stories, but this should be a good start."

"Camilla," Xander broke in, clearly unhappy with the way things were going. "Shouldn't we continue the tour? We can come back later to read. The library isn't going anywhere."

"Oh, Xander, we have time. Surely, we can spend some of it relaxing." she said, taking Kairi's hand and pulling her over to a large, comfy chair. "Now, let's start."

With a roll of his eyes, Xander pulled a history book off the shelf and sat down to wait for the girls to be done. With that story, it wouldn't take too long. None of those fairy tales did.

About thirty minutes later, Camilla and Kairi were finishing up yet another story. It seemed like every time they finished one, Kairi would ask to read the next one that she noticed on the next page. She was very interested in the tales, since she had never heard them before. After a while, Camilla decided that they should save some stories for another time. As Kairi thanked Camilla cheerily, Xander looked over at them. Maybe it was a good idea to spend some time relaxing. She did seem a bit happier. If she wasn't constantly worrying about her family, things would probably be easier for the Hoshidan princess.

"Well, since that's done, shall we continue? Perhaps we can show you the garden." He put his book down and stood up as he suggested that. Kairi turned to him with an excited grin. Yes, she was definitely feeling better. She jumped down from the chair, ready to go. While they were walking to the garden, he noticed that she had a bit of a skip in her step. Forcing back a bit of a chuckle, he focused on making sure Kairi didn't stray too far from them on their way.

At the garden, Kairi looked around at all the greenery. The carefully sculpted bushes and flowers were intricately arranged, and the leafy green trees gave perfect shade on a hot day. It was a good place to go if you wanted to be alone. Still, Xander couldn't help but think that Kairi had been expecting something different. She walked over to one of the trees and gazed up into the branches like she was looking for something.

"Is something wrong, Kairi?" She looked back at them with an unreadable expression.

"It's fine. I was just thinking of the garden back home. Around this time of year, the sakura trees would be full of pink flowers." she explained as she looked up at the tree. Camilla noticed the sense of longing in her eyes before it was replaced with another bright smile. "You know, my little sister is named after the sakura trees because she was born in their blooming season. She also has pink hair, like the flowers."

"I'm sure you'll see them before the flowers are gone. That will be a nice 'welcome home', won't it." Kairi looked Camilla in the eye, nodding. She was sure that it would only be a matter of time until she was home. Still, she would miss a good portion of the season, as well as her little sister's birthday, and that was especially hard for her to think about.

"So… is it just you two and King Garon living here?" she asked. At that, Xander and Camilla laughed a little.

"No, Kairi. If you'll remember, our father said he would be checking on Leo and Elise. Those are our younger siblings. Leo is almost three years old while Elise just turned a year old less than a month ago." Xander explained. The conversation was becoming quite lively, talking about their families. The three children hardly realized how much time was passing.

"Prince Xander, Princess Camilla, Princess Kairi, lunch is ready and King Garon is waiting for you." a maid spoke to them from the entrance to the garden. All three young heads turned in her direction. Taking the initiative, Xander straightened up and addressed her.

"Thank you. We'll be there soon." She bowed, then left. As soon as they were alone, Xander turned to Kairi, took her hand, and started leading her to the dining room. As they were going, he started planning the next stop on their tour. Chances were that she would ask to go back to the library at some point that day to read more fairy tales. He chuckled a little, wondering if she was like that with stories at home. When they got to the dining room and opened the door, they saw Garon seated at the head of the table, waiting expectantly for them.

"Ah. There you are." he greeted as they walked in. Xander and Camilla smiled at him and quickly took their seats on either side of him. After a little bit of trepidation, Kairi decided to sit next to Camilla.

When the food was brought in and the others started eating, Kairi just looked at the confusing array of silverware in front of her. She wasn't used to forks, knives, and spoons. They didn't use those in Hoshido. She had no idea how to eat the way they did in Nohr. Noticing her confusion, Camilla leaned over.

"I'll help you learn how to use those." she whispered before quietly instructing her on using the silverware. It took a bit, but eventually, Kairi was able to use them decently enough to eat.

"So, how was the tour you gave Princess Kairi?" Garon asked once said girl was eating.

"It was certainly interesting. I think she's just experiencing culture shock right now." Xander finished his bite and responded. "We read a bit in the library and took her out to the garden." When he mentioned the library, Camilla chuckled quietly. Garon raised an eyebrow at that. He would have to ask her about that later. In the meantime, he turned to the princess that was kneeling on the chair and trying to figure out how much she should cut off the sausage before eating it. She was also forgetting to hold it in place with the fork while she cut with the knife.

"Princess Kairi, are my children treating you well?" She looked up from her food and nodded. "I'm glad. I do want you to be comfortable while you're here." They ate in silence for a little bit longer, then Garon spoke again. "The letter to King Sumeragi will be sent by the end of the day. Then it will be a matter of time until you are back with your family." He kept his eyes on her face to see her reaction. When she looked back up, there was a bright smile on her face. That seemed to be the most they would get out of her for the moment, so he finished his meal and waited for the children to finish theirs.

* * *

That afternoon, Garon was looking over the letter as he waited for the messenger to come to his office. It was time to send it with him, and he was waiting for him to arrive. 

_12 of March_

_From King Garon,_

_Blessed by the Dusk Dragon_

_Son of Maximilian the Just_

_Sovereign of the Kingdom of Nohr_

_"To King Sumeragi of Hoshido._

_It has come to my attention that bandits from Nohr have recently abducted your daughter in your presence. You have my condolences and regrets. I am currently working to ensure that this does not happen again._

_Nevertheless, in a raid on those very bandits, we found your daughter, Princess Kairi. She was unharmed and has briefly explained the situation to me. Hearing that, I wish to return her to you. Let my diplomat, Sir Hagan, know at what time and place would be the most convenient for you to reunite with her._

_I am looking forward to speaking with you._

_King Garon of Nohr."_

"You sent for me, Your Majesty?" Garon turned to the voice at the door to his office.

"Yes, I did, Vale. Come in. I am ready for you." He picked up the letter and sealed it with wax. "I want you to take this letter King Sumeragi. Inform Sir Hagan that he will oversee organizing the reunion between him and his daughter." Handing over the letter, the messenger put it away.

"I won't let you down, Your Majesty."

As the man left, Garon stood up and walked into the hallway. He wanted to make sure their guest was doing well. Xander had said he wanted to introduce Princess Kairi to Azura, Arete's daughter. It was a good thought, since they were near the same age. 'They must be in the playroom.' he thought.

When he approached the door, he saw that it was cracked slightly. And he heard giggling inside. Peeking in showed him the two girls sitting across from each other with a bit of play makeup between them. It was also smeared all over their faces as if they had put it on with their eyes closed, which they likely did. After a minute of uncontrollable laughing at how ridiculous they looked, Azura suggested that they wash up and play with some other toys. Before they left, however, Kairi looked down.

"How long do you think it will take for me to get home?" Azura looked over at the other girl, then shrugged.

"Hopefully not too long. Didn't King Garon say he was sending a letter today or something? Anyway, did you see your guest room?" Kairi looked at her with a question evident on her face.

"Yes, but why is the… bed so high up? And how do you put it away when you're not sleeping on it?" she asked, confused. The thought of what she was asking caused him to laugh heartily in his head as he heard Azura trying to explain Nohrian furniture to someone who was so unused to their ways.

At least she wasn't so scared anymore.

* * *

So, Kairi is brought to Windmire. She will take a while to get over the culture shock, but it's only natural. I also wanted to make Garon feel a bit like a doting father, so there's those small moments with his kids. What do you think?

Hope you guys are dealing well with the coronavirus panic and not getting sick. College for me has gone online, like most other colleges that I heard about, so I'm at home after dragging all my stuff back.


	3. Chapter 3: Time Passes

Kairi was restless. It had already been weeks since she arrived at the castle. How long does it take for word to get to Hoshido and back? She had already missed Sakura's first birthday! Thankfully Azura and Camilla had lent her clothes that fit her. She only had the kimono that she was wearing when she was taken.

"I hope Mother gave Sakura the birthday present I got her." she murmured as she leaned against a tree in the garden. She would have been in the library, but it was a nice day and she wanted some time outside. There's only so much time she could spend reading while she waited for her family to arrange to get her. Camilla was also with her to keep her company.

"Father tells me that political discussions can take a while, but I don't think he meant that the matter of returning a princess to her father would take this long." Looking over at the younger princess, she started thinking of how to bring up the mood. "Maybe later we can talk to Father, see if he has any news." she suggested. Kairi smiled a bit, but it was still nervous. It was only natural, since she had been away from home for so long.

That afternoon, Kairi and Camilla went to King Garon's office. When they reached the door, Camilla knocked. A few seconds later, a voice from inside told them to come in. Garon was sitting at his desk with his hand on his head, stressed from something. Perhaps the paper that was in his other hand.

"Father? Are you alright?" Camilla asked. At the sound of his daughter's voice, he turned to the door.

"Ah. Camilla. I'm fine. Is there something you needed?" He gave her a smile, but it appeared false; there was sadness masked behind it. Camilla pulled Kairi into the room.

"Kairi was wondering if there was any word about when she would be able to go home." Garon's smile suddenly vanished. The girls immediately knew something was wrong. He turned back to the desk, looking at the paper.

"It appears that my diplomat and the messenger that I sent to Hoshido have been murdered and their bodies thrown back into Nohr. It's clearly a message from King Sumeragi." he sullenly responded. Small gasps came from the girls before the elder of the two found her voice again.

"But why? Doesn't King Sumeragi want Kairi back? She told me that he promised to come and find her last time she saw him!" she cried out. Putting the report back on the desk, Garon stood up and faced Camilla again.

"The soldiers that found them reported that the bodies appeared to be cut by a katana and burned there by lightning magic. Considering the state of the killing blow, it appears as it might have happened at the same time. I can only think of one blade in Hoshido that can do that." He turned his attention to the young Hoshidan princess, who had tears filling her eyes. He regretted hurting the girl, but she needed to know.

"I'm sorry, Princess Kairi. I'm not going to be able to send you back to your family."

* * *

Two Years Later:

"She's having another episode."

Xander stopped when he heard two servants talking. Clearly it was about his adopted sister, the former Hoshidan princess, Kairi. When she was officially brought into the family, she had insisted on a new name, so she was now called Corrin. However, she was still suffering from what happened to her. Upon hearing the news for the first time, she ran to her room and refused to come out for three days straight. She didn't eat and barely had anything to drink. Even two years later, she was still having trouble, locking herself in her room every now and then so she could cry without anyone seeing her.

"It's really a pity. She's such a sensitive young girl. I can't imagine how her former father wouldn't want her back." Xander stayed around, eavesdropping on the conversation. He knew he wasn't supposed to, but maybe they had an idea of what could be done.

"Still, it's hard for me to see her like this. She doesn't even talk to her siblings about it. Bottling it up can't be healthy for her, even ignoring what she does." The maid paused with a sad sigh. "I can't help but think she fears that she'll be abandoned again."

Abandoned again? He and the rest of the family had assured her that she would be a permanent part of the family. Did she still fear that they would leave her behind? It did take her quite a while for her to accept them. She had only just started calling King Garon 'Father'. There had to be a way to help her out of that state of mind.

He walked away after that. There was something he needed to figure out. Maybe she needed a friend to vent to. He had seen a young boy who was only a few years older than her working with the other servants. Maybe he could ask his father to introduce the two. Or maybe she could meet the child of a noble that lived nearby.

Either way, he needed to tell him what was going on.

* * *

Three Years Later:

Even though Elise was almost six years old, she had taken it upon herself to keep everyone in her family smiling. It was a big job for a little girl, but she felt she was ready for the job. Her big sister, Corrin, was her biggest challenge, but she did manage to cheer her up when she was having a bad day.

Even though she knew that Corrin was adopted, she didn't know what happened that caused her to be a part of their family. Everyone thought that it was for the best. She would find out when she was older and able to understand.

Her favorite way to cheer her sister up was to get Corrin to play with her or read her some of those fairy tales she loved so much. She didn't really understand why she had those bad days, but they were getting further apart.

That was enough for Elise to smile. She was glad to be helping her big sis.

* * *

Five Years Later:

Looking back on the years since the young Hoshidan princess was found during the raid, King Garon realized just how many highs and lows that came along with his daughter. The ten years had passed quickly, and things had changed quite a bit as all the children grew up.

When Garon made the decision to adopt Princess Kairi, he didn't know how she would react. Even after it was done, there were plenty of challenges that came with it. The political issues were easy enough to deal with for him but making sure that Corrin grew up like a semi-normal child wasn't easy. She was so hurt it took several years for him to convince her that she wouldn't be abandoned again. There were so many nights where she would wake up long before dawn, crying from a nightmare of her kidnapping. He often had to spend time in her room, just holding her and letting her cry until she fell asleep again.

Those were the difficult years.

After a while, Garon noticed Corrin getting happier, especially once she befriended Jacob, Silas, Flora and Felicia. She also got closer to Azura. Perhaps she just needed some people that could help her forget. Either way, she had grown up just as he hoped.

There was only one more thing that Garon was worried about. Corrin's dragon blood. It was clear to him from the beginning that it was much more potent than anyone else's, and his advisor Arete had informed him of a dangerous possibility for the true power of it. It could not only harm those around her, but it could possibly cause her to lose herself forever.

He was thankful that Arete had provided something that could protect Corrin from that; a dragonstone. Supposedly, it would keep the most dangerous part of the power in check, whatever it was. He would have to ask her how she knew about it, as well as where she even got it. According to her, it was quite rare

For some reason, he couldn't help but feel like she was protecting his family from something else.

* * *

Well, how are all of you dealing with cabin fever from the illness and the craziness that is what's going on in the cities? Thankfully I'm away from cities, so I'm not affected. I'm just chilling at home and doing summer classes.

Anyway, about the story. I wanted to do an interlude chapter because thirteen years is WAY to big a jump to have without any explanation as to what goes on. I hope this is serviceable.

Now, back to my classes.


	4. Chapter 4: Nightmares

By the time Corrin turned eighteen, she had almost forgotten what it was like in Hoshido. Almost. The memories were still there, but they had become rather vague by the time she spent in Nohr, hidden in the shadows of the past. That was exactly what she wanted. She wanted to leave them behind.

Over the years, she had grown into a strong woman. She wasn't as good with the sword as Xander, but she was very skilled with it. On top of that, she had figured out something incredible. While she was studying magic, she somehow learned that she had a talent in water magic. That was odd, since it was supposedly very complicated and she was only decent in fire magic, but she wasn't about to complain.

Xander had changed greatly. He was now a stern yet just prince. He was unbeatable with the sword, especially since he wielded Siegfried. He cared for his siblings greatly, but as the future king, he had many more responsibilities that kept him busy. Still, Corrin did feel like he should have better standards for his retainers. One was too obsessed with killing and the other was, in her eyes and the eyes of many a woman around, a shameless flirt. Even so, they were skilled when it came to a fight. No one could deny that.

Camila had grown up quite a bit. She cared about her younger siblings very much, always doting on them. Still, she was fierce warrior with an axe on her wyvern. Her retainers were very dedicated to her. One was a former assassin that was hired on, and the other was a bit to focused on being the best, but they did their jobs well.

Leo hadn't changed much since he was a kid. He was still a quite intelligent, but he also had a minor inferiority complex, especially when it came to Xander and Corrin. He had taken a different approach to battle than his older siblings, focusing on magic instead of a blade. His retainers were… interesting to say the least. One was very theatrical, and the other seemed to make it his personal job to make everyone around him squirm. Why he chose them, Corrin would never be able to figure out.

Elise was still a happy child, even at fourteen. She hadn't grown out of all that stuff, but she lived with such a love of life that seemed to rub off on those around her. She didn't want to fight, but she had been learning how to heal, which suited her quite well. And despite one retainer having horrible luck and the other having an appetite to match her strength, they were loyal and good people.

As for King Garon, he was still a strong and kind father to them. He ruled his kingdom well, ensuring that his subjects had as much opportunity to thrive as possible. That wasn't always easy, with occasional dry years, but he could keep the bandits from ravaging the country and ensure that conflicts didn't break out unneeded. That didn't mean that it was relatively peaceful all the time, however.

One day, he called his children to the throne room. None of them knew what to expect, but they had an idea of what he wanted to talk to them about. There had been reports of villages being attacked by strange creatures called faceless. No one knew where the monsters came from or why they were attacking people.

"Xander, Camilla, Corrin, Leo, Elise, I have something that I must request of you five." he started, looking down at them, then stood up from the throne. "I assume you all have heard of the faceless."

"I only know of what they've done. Destroying villages. Attacking soldiers. I hear the people are getting worried." Leo supplied. Garon nodded.

"That is correct, Leo. With that said, I have different assignment for each of you." He turned to Xander. "Xander, I want you, Corrin, and Elise to go to our allies in Cheve. There seems to be a large concentration of faceless there, so I'm sending you there to aid the forces there." The three subjects nodded, so he turned to the remaining daughter. "I'm sending you to toe Woods of the Forlorn with several of my captains. Another group of faceless have been seen there." Leo was the last person he faced. "I have a special mission for you, Leo. I want you to find out exactly what they are and where they are coming from. I'm giving you some freedom as to how to do this, but we need to know exactly what we are dealing with." With their missions set, they all bowed, and all but one left to prepare.

"Father, are you sure about this? I'm glad to be going with Xander and Elise, but wouldn't someone more experienced with teaching swordsmanship be better to go?" Garon looked at the remaining child of his.

"Corrin, I feel you would be best to help teach the newer recruits there. You can get them started on the basics and make sure they don't make the beginner mistakes for long You have an eye for those small mistakes. Still, I do have an additional request." Looking at him with curiosity, she waited for him to explain. "I want you to send me updates often, every week if possible. I may be a little overprotective of you in many cases, but as we don't know what these things are, I'm going to be worried for you and your siblings." he asked. It was a simple request, so Corrin agreed.

"I won't let you down, Father." With that, she gave him a brief hug, then left to get ready. Watching the retreating form of his daughter, Garon gave a brief prayer to the Dusk Dragon.

"Please, I beg you, protect my children. All of them."

* * *

"Corrin? Are you alright?"

Corrin turned at the voice of her oldest friend, Azura, who was standing just outside of her room with a concerned look on her face, hands unconsciously grasping at the golden oval pendant around her neck.

"I'm fine, Azura." Corrin smiled as she gestured for her to come in. "Is there something you need?"

"Actually, yes." she replied as she entered. "This may seem odd but 'Beware the dragon that waits in silence, for they are the most dangerous'." Corrin was confused with that request, or more specifically, the tone and wording of it.

"Is that a proverb or something? That's unlike you." In all her time knowing Azura, Corrin hadn't known her to be the kind of person to spout old sayings. When she was growing up, that was always her mother's specialty, with many of them referencing a dragon. Did she get the saying from her?

"I'm not sure what it means in context with this mission, but I thought I should tell you." she shrugged. Typical. Why couldn't those sayings be clear with what they wanted them to do?

"I'll keep it in mind. Thanks, Azura." Corrin smiled.

* * *

"Welcome, Prince Xander. We've been expecting you and your siblings."

Upon arriving in Cheve, the royal children were greeted by the city guard. Scarlet, the captain, personally came to welcome them to the city.

"It's a pleasure, Scarlet. I only wish it was under better circumstances." He dismounted and shook her hand.

"So, since you're here, I think it would be best to get down to business and show you around. That way, you can find out what needs to be done to stop these things." She started walking with them towards the barracks, explaining the situation to them as they went. "Honestly, I don't think the newer recruits are ready for something like this. Maybe you three being here can help with that."

"Corrin will be assigned to test them and see how they fight in order to give them pointers. She's quite a capable fighter. Elise is also very skilled with a healing staff and can act as a field medic." Xander responded. Corrin smiled a bit. It was just like him to take charge like that.

* * *

That night, the royals were all in their rooms (Corrin and Elise decided to share one). There was a lot to do the next morning. Two of them were having a restful night after their long ride, but one of them…

Corrin woke up gasping for air. The nightmare she had was all too familiar to her, even if it was slightly different each time she dreamed it. Looking out the window, she saw that it wasn't quite light out, so she dressed and went out for a walk.

"It's a good thing I didn't wake up Elise. I don't want her to hear about this." she sighed.

"Hear about what, Lady Corrin?" Corrin turned in shock at the sound of a male voice. It was just her retainer, but she wasn't expecting him to be there. After all, it was still very early in the morning.

"You should be asleep, Jacob." He shook his head at her.

"You should as well. From my experience, you usually sleep in unless something happened in the middle of the night." He strode over and placed a warm cloak, pulled from seemingly nowhere, over her shoulders. "Now, what happened?"

Corrin looked embarrassed. "You know that dream I used to have? About me getting abandoned by my former family?" He nodded. "I had it again. It's strange, since I haven't had it in years, ever since I started my training." she explained. "Is it because Cheve is closer to the Hoshidan border than Windmire is?" Jacob looked thoughtful, but Corrin just shook her head. "I'm probably just exhausted. Maybe the long ride took more out of me than I thought." After a moment, she turned around and went to get a drink of water. She had a lot of preparation to do in a few hours, but that could wait until she got a bit more sleep.

* * *

"Alright, you. Listen up!" Scarlet called to the recruits at the training grounds. Corrin was standing beside her in her armor. She was holding a practice sword. "Princess Corrin has agreed to help whip you into shape. Now, Ernst, you're with her first." A sturdy young boy came up to her while Scarlet took an axe user to train.

"Alright, Ernst, how long have you been training with the sword?" Seeing an irritated glint in his eye, she concluded that he was a bit overconfident of his abilities. After a second, she prepared to knock him down a peg.

"Long enough to fight those monsters." With that, he ran forward with a wild swing. Deflecting it quickly with her sword, Corrin stepped to the side and brought her foot up in front of his leg with predictable results.

"You put too much of yourself into the attack and are letting your emotions and confidence control you. You have the strength for that kind of sword, but you're letting it get out of hand. You can't do that, or you'll be dead in a second. Understand?" He gasped from his place on the ground in shock. "Get up and try again." With that, Ernst got up and swung at her again. This time, Corrin blocked his strike and pushed him back. "Again, don't put your whole self into an attack. That just puts you off balance and makes it easier to push you back or trip you up."

After a few more rounds, Corrin decided he had enough instruction to practice with his shadow fencing, so she let him figure out his fighting while she moved on to one of the other two. Chris just had to work on some new techniques, so she let him do his thing for a little while she worked with Elke.

"Don't grip your sword so tightly, Elke. It'll hurt your hand." Corrin was trying to coach her. It seemed like she didn't know a few basics, but that's what Corrin was there for.

"But if I don't, then you'll just knock it out." Corrin shook her head, then held her sword out.

"Try knocking the sword out of my hand with yours." After a moment of trepidation, Elke delivered a hard swing at the blade. It was knocked to the side, but it didn't fly out of her hands. She gave the young girl a smile. "You are right, you do need to make sure it isn't too loose, so it doesn't go flying out of your hand, like you said, but you also need to make sure that the grip isn't too tight. Can you imagine fighting for an extended period of time with your blade in a death grip?" Once she explained things, she decided it would be a good idea for Elke to practice what she learned, but as she directed her to take a few swings at a training dummy, Corrin overheard something to the side.

"Captain Scarlet! We have some people wishing to talk to you." a male voice called out to the blond who was a little irritated at the interruption.

"Can this wait?" she called back as she paused her training.

"They say they wish to speak with the person in charge. They apparently want to assist with the faceless threat."

After a moment of sizing up the visitors, she shook her head. "This is a bit out of my expertise." Then she shouted over to Corrin. "HEY! PRINCESS! CAN YOU DEAL WITH SOME DIPLOMATIC JARGEN? DEALING WITH FOREIGNERS SEEMS TO BE A SPECIALTY OF ROYALTY!"

Foreigners? She wasn't expecting any diplomats in Cheve. Turning around, Corrin froze. It wasn't at the sight of the man in the red armor or the archer with the long ponytail. It wasn't even at any of the other five other characters staring at her.

It was at the pair of identical red eyes staring into hers.

* * *

Wow. I've been procrastinating on posting this for a while. I've been getting into school again. I hope things work out for everyone.

Let me know what you think of this. Next chapter will be an interlude, focusing on another character that I'm pretty sure you can guess the identity of.


	5. Interlude 1: Ghost of the Past

In Hoshido, things had been tense for years, ever since their princess had been lost to them. They had shut themselves off from the rest of the continent for fear of something else happening.

The royal children had been affected the most. Especially Prince Kamui. He had so many nightmares of his twin being kidnapped, but never killed. He was adamant that she was still alive, even after all those years. Unfortunately, he was not allowed to go look for her, for fear that he would be kidnapped as well.

At the age of twenty-two, Prince Ryoma was doing his best to follow in his father's footsteps. It was difficult, however, as he had pushed his children away upon Kairi being kidnapped. Ryoma had to step up and help his siblings when King Sumeragi was keeping them at arms-length.

The twenty-year old princess, Hinoka, had become a fierce warrior. Upon the loss of her sister, she had taken up the naginata and trained to be a pegasus knight. She was fiercely protective of her younger siblings and had sworn to protect her home from anything that may threaten it.

Takumi had become harsh as he grew older. He had worked hard to become a master bowman, but he had also gained an inferiority complex. He seemed to think that he needed to be the best bowman in order to get any attention from his family, since Ryoma was such an excellent swordmaster and Hinoka was one of the best Pegasus Knights.

Sakura couldn't remember Kairi at all. And she hated that. Her whole family had grieved the loss of their sister for so long, yet she never got the chance to meet her. The only thing she had was a gift that was meant for her first birthday. Kairi never got the chance to give it to her. She hadn't even known it was from her until she was older. She had become a shrine maiden so she could help people who got hurt.

As they grew older, they started noticing how the family dynamic had changed. Their father had become harsh and strict. He isolated the country from others, especially Nohr. That confused the children. Shouldn't they be working with Nohr to find out what happened to Kairi?

One day, Ryoma asked Kamui and Takumi to gather their retainers and weapons. He wanted them to go somewhere while Hinoka and Sakura took care of things at home, buying them time.

"Oniisan, you never did explain why we need to head to Cheve." Kamui said to Ryoma. They were about to cross into the country, but only Ryoma and his two retainers, Saizo and Kagero, knew what was going on. He turned and faced Kamui after a minute.

"There is a threat in the other nations that could cross over to Hoshido. They are monsters that are referred to as 'faceless'." he explained with the same calm tone he always did. "They attack anyone in their way. We're going to Cheve to aid in their destruction, and perhaps learn their patterns so we can better fight them when they do reach Hoshido."

"Don't you mean 'if'?" Takumi asked. Ryoma shook his head.

"No. I am sure that they will eventually come to Hoshido. They are already slowly approaching the border." There was silence the rest of the way to the city, despite each wanting to ask how he had found out. Chances are it was information gathered by one of the ninjas.

* * *

It took another day to get to the city that was being hurt the most by the faceless, and upon reaching the walls, a guard that was stationed at the gate called to them.

"Hold! State your names and your purpose!" Ryoma looked him in the eye as he responded.

"I am Prince Ryoma of Hoshido. These are my brothers and our retainers. We wish to speak to the captain of the guard."

"Why do you wish to speak with her?" he asked, looking the group over. Out of the corner of their eyes, the ninjas noticed that the city had more security than usual. Perhaps the faceless caused so many problems that they needed the extra guards.

"We heard of the faceless. We are here to offer our aid." Ryoma responded. Kamui wasn't sure if the reasoning for their presence was going to be enough. Because of Hoshido's isolation, he didn't know much of the other nations. After another moment, the guard turned to another and nodded.

"She will have to make the decision whether you help us, but we can take you to her." With that, the gates opened, and they were escorted inside the walls. Kamui looked around at the buildings. They were very different from what they had in Hoshido, made mostly of brick or stone instead of wood and paper. The streets were paved with stone as well. It appeared to reflect a hardiness that the country seemed to have. Perhaps Nohr was similar.

"Keep in mind, Captain Scarlet may be busy currently. We have some important people here to help train our recruits and fight off the faceless." the guard explained as he led them to the training ground. There were many people sparring there of very different experience levels. One woman with platinum-blond hair was turned away from them, instructing a slightly younger woman in the basics of swordplay and another, one with brighter blond hair and red armor, was training the axe users. For some reason, the first woman looked familiar to him, but, as she was turned away from him, he couldn't tell from where. "Captain Scarlet! We have some people wishing to talk to you." their escort called to the woman in red. The captain turned from her partner with an irritated look.

"Can this wait?" she called back. The tone was indicative of someone who didn't like being interrupted from training, and apparently the guard was used to it.

"They say they wish to speak with the person in charge. They apparently want to assist with the faceless threat." At that, Kamui noticed a slight change in her eyes. It became more critical as she looked them over. Then she shook her head.

"This is a bit out of my expertise." Then she shouted over to the woman with platinum-blond hair. "HEY! PRINCESS! CAN YOU DEAL WITH SOME DIPLOMATIC JARGEN? DEALING WITH FOREIGNERS SEEMS TO BE A SPECIALTY OF ROYALTY!"

With that, Scarlet went back to training her partner. The woman, who had been identified as royalty, finally turned around to look at them. And what Kamui saw caused him to freeze. Those red eyes. The pointed ears.

He knew this woman!

It was Kairi!

* * *

Well, it's been a while. I wanted to post this earlier, but for some reason I kept putting it off. I mean, it's not as if it wasn't done. I just didn't post it.

Let me know what you think. Hopefully, with College almost over for the semester, I can update a bit more frequently over break

Also, what do you think of other stories? I have a few I want to post (My Hero Academia, Fire Emblem 3 Houses, a MHA/FEA crossover), but I'm not sure. Let me know if you're interested.

Also, I want to make a "Updates" thing on here. Anyone know how to do that? It's for all my stories, and not just this one.


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